How big, how blue, how beautiful
by hipermnesis
Summary: Clarke plays tennis for her team in Ark University, Lexa for the Polis University. They're rivals. What happens when you fall for the one person you're not supposed to? Slow-burn Clexa AU.
1. Big, blue, beautiful

One week into her freshman year in college and Clarke's schedule was already packed. She had too many classes already, but she knew she had to do some physical activity. She hated to run, she hated the gym, and the only sport she had really practiced was tennis, so she decided to take classes twice a week.

"Name?"

"Griffin, Clarke Griffin."

"Alright Griffin, you're all set for the 5 pm classes on Monday and Wednesday. Your first class is this week on court 7."

"Awesome. Thank you very much." Clarke took the papers and turned to walk out the office, but a voice immediately stopped her.

"So, girl who just said her name in a 'James Bond' way, are you joining the tennis team?"

Clarke turned her head and saw a tall with dark black hair and a huge smile. "Uh, not really, no. Just taking a couple of classes per week. Why? Are you in the tennis team?"

"What? No! God, no! I'm in the soccer team. My brother is tho, he's the captain."

"Soccer team huh? Sounds cool." Clarke said, trying to keep the conversation alive. It was her third day in campus and she hadn't met anyone so far, so she thought it was time to start making some friends.

"Yeah, it is. My brother hates soccer, so I joined the high school team just to piss him off. Turned out I'm good at it, so here I am, four years later and a scholarship at my favorite university."

"Wow, you have a scholarship for playing soccer? You must be really good then."

"I am. I mean, not that I like to brag or whatever, but I've done pretty well in the last couple of years. I'm Octavia, by the way."

"Clarke", she said shaking the other girl's hand.

"So Clarke, do you have plans for tonight? My brother and his friends are having a party in their apartment, I'm sure it'll be packed, you could meet some cool people there."

Clarke was surprised at Octavia's offer. "Hmm, I don't know. I mean, I'm not much of a party person and it'll be weird to be there without knowing anyone."

"Well, you know me now. And to be honest I only know a couple of my brother's friends, it's not like I'll know everyone there either."

"I really don't know, Octavia"

"Call me O. And Clarke, I'm begging you. I don't fucking beg."

"Alright, alright. I'll go. But if you leave me there alone I swear to god I'll leave and never go to a party with you again."

"Deal. The apartment is a couple of blocks from here, we can walk. See you around 9 pm at the main entrance?"

"9 pm it is then. See ya." Clarke said as she started walking towards the exit.

Clarke met Octavia at the entrance as they agreed. They were asking questions and trying to get to know each other while walking. Octavia was definitely a talker. She was enthusiastically telling Clarke about how she chose physical therapy as her major and that she was really scared because she needed good grades in order to maintain her scholarship. That was when Clarke decided she liked Octavia. She has always liked passionate people, and O was definitely one.

They arrived to the party and O introduced her to two guys, Murphy and… was it Atom? Adam? She forgot. She saw a tall guy with long-ish brown hair and freckles approaching to them.

"O! You're here!" He said as she hugged Octavia really tight. "And this is?"

"Bell, this is Clarke, I met her today at the sports department. Clarke, this is Bellamy, my annoying brother."

"Ignore her, she loves me." Bellamy said. "Nice to meet you, Clarke."

"Likewise, Bellamy."

"Well, girls, I have to get back to my beer-pong round, I'm kicking asses and I plan to keep it that way all night. See you around." And he was gone. Clarke and Octavia kept chatting for a while, until they noticed that the place went mute. Clarke realized everyone was looking towards the entrance, so she followed. A tall girl with long, curly, brown hair and emerald eyes was standing with two other people even taller than her.

"Uh-oh." Octavia mouthed.

"What do you mean? Who are they?" Clarke whispered. The noise went back to normal with people cheering and singing.

"She the girl with curly hair?" Clarke nodded. "She is the captain of the Polis University tennis team. They're like the biggest rivals of Bell and his team."

Clarke had only lived for three days in Ton DC but she already knew two things for sure: First, the weather was fucking amazing, and second, the main rivalry of the city was between Polis University and Ark University. "So what are they doing here?"

"I have no idea. I don't think Bellamy invited them since they hate each other. It's not only because they're rivals, something happened two years ago in the final, it got bloody. Either some other asshole invited them and they had the guts to actually attend or they're just crashing the party, which I hope not because this could get messy." Octavia said. The three guys from Polis U made their way thru the room until they found Bellamy. They shook hands with him and the other guys playing beer pong, and then settled in a corner. Not talking, not drinking, only watching.

"No fucking way." Octavia said as she walked towards Bellamy. "Bell, what the hell? Why are they here and shaking hands with you? I thought you hated them."

"Believe me, I do. But the new coach said she had zero tolerance for teen drama, so she and the polis coach made a deal. In order to keep our places in the team we had to invite them and if they wanted to keep their places they had to assist. Apparently the others are coming later."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, I know. But as long as they don't interfere with our fun, I guess we can just ignore them" Bellamy said and then he went back to cheering for Murphy who had just tossed the ball into a cup. Clarke was listening to their conversation, but her attention was somewhere else. She couldn't keep her eyes off the tall girl from Polis. She was mesmerized by her presence. She was pretty, probably the prettiest face she had ever seen in real life. But it was the way the girl was standing, and the way she walked and how she literally made the room go quiet with her entrance that made her so mysterious and interesting.

"Earth calling Clarke" Octavia interrupted her thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you wanted a beer. And you're drooling, by the way."

"I'm not drooling! And yes please, I'd like a beer."

"Clarke, you just spend 3 full minutes without taking your eyes off the captain of the Polis tennis team. You should at least try to hide it." O said, as she handed a cold beer to Clarke.

"I wasn't looking at her. I was looking at all of them and thinking what could've possibly happened in that final that created so much tension." Clarke lied.

"Sure you were. Now let's go, I see two cute guys over there that won't stop looking at us. We can probably get lucky tonight, Clarke." They spent an hour talking to those guys, and Clarke was beyond done. One of them couldn't shut up about how drunk he was and the other one was mostly flirting with Octavia.

"I need to find the bathroom, be right back." Clarke (finally) excused herself. She found the bathroom but someone was inside so she waited. And waited and waited and waited. Whoever was inside was either dead or dying, so she knocked at the door, "hey, hum, is everything okay there?" she asked.

"Uh, no, it isn't." The girl inside said. "Do… Do you think you could hel… help me?"

"Alright, can you unlock the door?" Clarke heard a click and then she made her way in. Her eyes widened. It was the girl she had been staring at. It was the magnificent girl she had fucking been staring at. Seriously, what where the odds? She was siting against the wall with her eyes closed, and she looked really pale. "Are you okay?"

"I already say no." The girl said, barely beyond a whisper. Clarke kneeled in front of her and took a good look. She didn't seem drunk, she seemed more like sick.

"Are you drunk?" She asked anyway. The girl shook her head. "Okay. Are you dizzy? Have you thrown up or something?" The girl shook her head again but then said "yes, dizzy." Clarke nodded.

"Do you have a name?" she asked, merely for medical purposes, Clarke convinced herself. She needed to check if the girl was conscious.

"Lexa." Lexa. Her name is as majestic as her presence. And her voice, oh god. "Focus, Clarke" she said to herself.

"Alright Lexa, your blood pressure must be low. Did you eat well today?" Lexa nodded. "I need you to wait here; I'll go grab you a candy or a coke, whatever I find first okay? Please don't pass out." Clarke didn't wait for a response; she flew out and quickly explained the situation to the next person in line. She got to the kitchen, opened the fridge and found a coke, she took it and went back to the bathroom. "Here, I need you to drink this, can you?" Again, Lexa nodded. Clarke grabbed Lexa's jaw to open her mouth a little, then she brought the can closer. Lexa took a small sip. "Can you take a longer sip, Lexa?" Clarke asked. Half a coke after, Lexa seemed better. Less pale. The brunette finally opened her eyes and the first thing that she saw was Clarke's eyes. She looked at them for what it seemed like ages. She had never seen such eyes. They were big, blue and beautiful. Who would've thought that the stranger with sexy voice who had been helping her was so pretty? She felt the heat in her face as she flushed. She looked away and started to stand up.

"Whoa! Easy there Lexa! You'll get dizzy again." Clarke said as she helped Lexa stand up.

"I am fine now; I can easily walk out by myself. Thank you for your help…"

"Clarke, it is Clarke."

"Well, thank you for helping me Clarke." Lexa said, and with no further word she walked out. Clarke stood still, confused. "What the hell?" she thought. She had no idea what was she expecting, but it certainly wasn't just a thank you. I mean, she had just spent half an hour helping a complete stranger, taking care of her. "Rude" Clarke mouthed as she walked out the bathroom. She made her way towards Octavia, who was now talking with some other guy.

"Clarke! There you are. I thought you had left."

"I wouldn't do that. A girl was nearly passed out in the bathroom so I helped her"

"Oh, Mother Theresa you are!"

"Shut up, O, she was really pale; I thought she was dying on me. I didn't enroll to pre-med to save strangers' lives in the bathroom, tho."

"I'm sure you'll soon find patients who meet your high standards, Clarke"

"Geez, you're impossible."

"I am. Now, as much fun as I'm having, I think we should go back to the campus, it's late and I'm not drunk enough to deal with other drunk people."

"I agree." Clarke said and they went to say goodbye to Bellamy and his friends. Before leaving, Clarke scanned the placed with her eyes, hoping to see Lexa again, but there was no sign of her, so she just tried to let it go and continued the conversation with Octavia as they walked back to the dorms. Emphasis in "tried", because that night Clarke couldn't stop thinking about Lexa's voice and how pretty her lips were. She thought of what could've happened if she hadn't vanished like she did. Maybe they could've chatted; Clarke could've gotten to know Lexa. She wanted to know things about her. Fuck, she wanted to solve the mystery that Lexa was.


	2. First day

Chapter 2:

 _So what if I get lost every time,_

 _As long as the roads lead me_

 _To your emerald eyes._

A/N: Sorry guys, there's not much clexa in this chapter but stick around for the next one (which should be ready tomorrow); we'll get Lexa's POV from the party and what happens next ;) Tell me what you think about the story so far. Also, if you are familiar with the tennis world, what would you like to see? Maybe mention some tennis players, tournaments, more about the game? Idk, let me know. Thanks for reading!

First day of college. Clarke woke up early; she didn't want to be late to her first class, which happened to be Chemistry lab. She took a shower, put on a nice outfit (first impressions are important, her mother always said) and took off.

It wasn't hard to find the classroom. "Perfect. Just perfect." Clarke complained. The classroom was empty. She didn't want to be late on to her first class but didn't want to be _that_ early either. She entered the room and took a sit on the last row. There were tables with microscopes and other instruments on. Two chairs on each table, that meant they were going to work in pairs. _No, last row is for those who never pay attention._ She stood up and sat exactly on the middle table. _No, in the middle everyone can see you. Hell no._ She stood up again in finally chose a seat near the window.

"Dude, I'm telling you, Rey is Luke Skywalker's daughter." A tall guy with black hair and goggles in his forehead ( _Seriously? Goggles?)_ entered the room, along with an Asian guy who seemed very friendly.

"Why do you think everyone has to be related in that movie? Besides, Luke's a jedi, he CAN'T have kids, you know? Anakin was the only one who broke the rule and look who he turned out to be."

"Okay, let's ask our friend here what she thinks." The guy with goggles said, walking towards Clarke. "Hey, what do you say, is Rey Luke's daughter or not?" He asked Clarke.

"Well, I do have to agree with your friend on this one, Jedis can't get involved in love relationships, and therefore can't, or shouldn't have children. So no, I don't think Rey's related to Luke or any other character that we know of."

"HA! I told you!" the Asian guy seemed very pumped after winning that argument. "Now, I'd like to know the name of my new best friend here."

"Best friend, huh?" Clarke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you obviously know about Star Wars, _and_ proved my point against my dumb friend. So yeah, we're besties now."

"Alright bestie, my name's Clarke. And yours?"

"I'm Monty. And this guy here is my friend Jasper."

"Hey Clarke! I'd say is nice to meet you, but you just stole my best friend, so yeah…" Jasper joked.

"Don't worry Jasper, you can join our wise duo, the force is stronger with three people instead of two."

Jasper laughed at that. "Okay, I'm going to ignore your lack of knowledge just because you were able to keep up with our nerdy discussion."

The classroom was half full now. Jasper and Monty took seat next to Clarke's table. Clarke liked them instantly. She enjoyed the dynamic between them and they made her laugh multiple times in a short period of time. That wasn't accomplished by everyone. They kept talking about random stuff until the teacher arrived. He cleared his throat and spoke to the classroom.

"My name is Dr. Anthony Theodore Rheus. You'll refer to me as Dr. Rheus at all times. The person seating next to you in the table will be working with you the entire semester. And before you ask, no, there'll be no changes. This is not elementary school, people, you cannot seat with your buddies." Monty and Jasper high-fived. "You will do team work, and if you don't know how to do it, you better learn fast, otherwise I can assure you will fail this class." He seemed like a good teacher. Very tough, even a little scary, but good.

"May I come in?" A girl knocked the door and asked. Clarke was listening to the professor, but kept her eyes on her notebook. She was writing 'CHEMISTRY' on the front page, and making some drawings around it.

"What is your name?" Dr. Rheus asked.

"Raven Reyes, sir." Clarke choked at the name. She knew that name. She knew that voice too. _No fucking way._

"Miss Reyes, the class started ten minutes ago. I have zero, and I mean ZERO tolerance for unpunctuality. Come in and find an available seat." Clarke looked around. The only available seat was the one next to her. _Shit._ Raven made her way towards Clarke and took a seat. She didn`t even bothered to look at the blonde.

"Griffin." Raven said dryly.

"Reyes." Clarke answered, not taking her eyes off her notebook. Clarke didn't hate Raven Reyes. She actually thought the girl was super badass. But the history between those two was pretty tense. All Finn's fault. Clarke had dated Finn for 6 months in her senior year. Everything was great until Raven and her family came back from wherever the hell they had lived for a year. Turned out Finn was cheating on Raven with her. She immediately broke up with him, but apparently Raven held some resentment towards Clarke.

It seemed like Clarke was right about Dr. Rheus. He made the class very interesting. He explained the topics that were going to be discussed during the curse and made a brief introduction about the subject. Clarke would've really enjoyed the class if it wasn't for the awkwardness floating between Raven and her.

The other classes went smoothly. Clarke liked most of her teachers. The clock marked 2:00 pm and she was ready to go to her dorm. She stopped by the cafeteria first and bought a turkey croissant. She spotted Jasper, Monty, Raven and a guy who she didn't knew sitting on a table. Jasper waved his hand, and made a signal for her to go sit with them. She didn't want to sit alone, but she didn't want to be with Raven either.

"Clarke!" a voice made Clarke jump. It was Octavia. "I thought I saw you coming in but wasn't sure if it was actually you."

"Hey O. Yeah, here I am." Clarke said, and then saw Jasper walking towards them.

"Hey Clarke, hey Clarke's pretty friend, whose name I'm about to learn." Jasper said with a huge smile.

"I'm Octavia, and you are?"

"Jasper, always on your service, my lady." He said, making a reverence. "Why don't you come and sit with us? We don't bite, although I'm not so sure about Monty."

"Yeah, we'd love to." Octavia said.

"Actually, we have to go to this thing, right O?" Clarke said, widening her eyes and begging Octavia to play along. Of course O didn't understand.

"What? I don't remember anything important in my schedule. Besides Clarke, I really don't want to sit alone; we'll look like losers on our first day." Clarke facepalmed.

"Alright ladies, follow me, I'll introduce you to everyone." Jasper said, mainly to Octavia. "Okay guys, these are Clarke and Octavia. Girls, these are Raven, Monty and Nathan."

"Nice to meet y'all." Octavia said with a smile.

"Nice to see you again, bestie." Monty said to Clarke.

"Likewise, bestie. And nice to meet you Nathan." Clarke answered, shaking Nathan's hand.

The two girls sat and conversation started to flow. They learned that Monty and Jasper were friends since elementary school. They had met Raven at orientation and went to a party together last Friday. Clarke caught some glances from Raven and felt even more awkward. She liked Jasper and Monty, and it seemed like Octavia did too. She'd really love to hang out with them. _I have to do something about Raven,_ she thought. "Raven, can I speak to you in private" Clarke interrupted the conversation. Everyone was shocked at Clarke's request. Why would she want to speak to Raven in private? _Something about Chem's lab,_ Jasper told himself. Raven nodded and stood up, following Clarke. They made it out the cafeteria, and Clarke started talking.

"Look, I know…" Clarke hesitated. "I know we have our history. Actually, I know you blame me for what happened with Finn even though I told you a thousand times that I had no clue he was with you, but…"

"Hold on there." Raven interrupted. "Who said I blamed you? I really don't. I know it was all Finn's fault."

"You don't blame me?" Clarke asked incredulous. "Then why you always look at me as if you were about to slit my throat?"

"What? I don't look at you that way. I actually thought _you_ hated me."

"Wow. So it was all a misunderstanding."

"I guess so." Raven replied. "Look, I think we have a golden opportunity to start over here. We're just starting college in a new city, new environment, new friends… We should just forget about all the BS that happened back in High School."

"I agree. Besides, it seems like we're going to be hanging out with the same friends, so it only makes sense for us to leave all the drama behind." Clarke stated.

"Yeah, Monty and Jasper are pretty cool, aren't they?"

"They are! And I remember you rocked the Chem lab back in High School, so I guess I'm lucky I'll be working with you all semester."

"Now that you say mention it, yeah, you're really lucky. But you better not leave me all the work because then I'm going to seriously kick your ass."

Clarke laughed at that. "Seems fair."

"So, are we good then?" Raven asked.

"Yeah we're good."

"Great, now we should go back, my food's waiting for me." Raven said.

After the cafeteria, Clarke went to her dorm and took a quick nap. It was her first day of training as well and she needed to be at the tennis court in an hour. She changed into a skirt and a tank top, grabbed her racquet and took off.

She arrived to court 7 as she was supposed to, and there were two girls and a guy already waiting for the coach, who arrived 5 minutes later. Clarke smiled when she saw who the coach was.

"Alright guys, I'm Bellamy, I'm in the University's team but I train some groups in the afternoons. The other coaches and I will be doing rotations so you'll get to train with all of us. Also, I know that you're not beginners but I don't know what your level of game is, so today I'll be testing your abilities to see where we're standing. Any question?" Bellamy asked and they shook their head. "Great. Now let's get down to business. Five laps to the court and then we start warming up."

Clarke was about to start running when Bellamy took her arm. "Hey, Clarke right?"

"Yeah, and you're Octavia's brother."

"I am. I didn't know you played tennis. It's great having you in my group. I'll try not to make you suffer… too much."

"Ha-ha. Try not to enjoy too much being in charge." She said as she turned around and started her laps.

Training went better than Clarke had thought. She clearly was at a better level than the rest of the group, and she won the game they played at the end. Bellamy was clearly impressed. When the class finished, he approached to Clarke.

"So, princess, when were you going to tell me that you were that good?" He asked.

"I'm not that good. I just, you know, don't suck."

"Like the rest of them?"

"It was you who said it, not me. Why did you call me 'princess' anyway?"

"Because you're practically Sharapova. Killer forehand, blonde hair and you scream very loud when you hit the ball."

"I do not scream!" Clarke punched Bellamy in the arm. "Besides, Sharapova is a queen. Queen Maria Sharapova."

"Whatever you say, princess." Bellamy joked and won another punch in the arm from Clarke. "I'm serious about you being really good, tho. I think you should go to the try-outs, you'll be a great addition to the team."

Clarke hesitated. Was she really good or was Bellamy just being nice to her? "Thanks Bell, but I don't really compete." She finally answered.

"It's never too late to try. Try-outs are next week, in case you change your mind." Bellamy said. "Anyway, I have training right now. I'll see you around princess."

Clarke stood there, thinking about the try-outs. Clarke wasn't naïve; she knew her game was great. She had been playing tennis since she was ten, and at one point she even entered competitions but it was a mess. Her nerves got the best of her in some matches, and in others she became so competitive that she yelled bad stuff to her opponents. She even broke a few racquets because of her frustration and anger. It was a version of herself that Clarke didn't want to bring out, so she just decided to not compete ever again. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Octavia approaching. She was wearing her soccer uniform and looked like she had just finished practicing.

"Hey O, how was practice?" Clarke asked.

"Tough. I think my coach hates me. How was yours?

"It went well; your brother was my coach for today."

"Really? What a coincidence. Did he take it light on you?"

"Yeah, he wasn't bad at all. By the way, do you have to be somewhere right now? I need new encore for my racquet because this one won't hold for much longer, and I know there's a store downtown where they sell tennis equipment. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me." Clarke asked, hoping Octavia would say yes because she really didn't want to go there alone. She had the worst sense of orientation and didn't know the bus routes yet.

"Shit, I'm sorry Clarke but I have gym session in 20 minutes. I'm telling you, Indra has no chill. First day and she wants to torture us with gladiator physical training."

"Oh well, no problem. Good luck in the gym, don't die because there's a big chance I'll get lost and you'll have to go rescue me." Clarke joked. Not really.

"I'll try not to. If you get lost just call me and I'll ask Bell because I'm new to this city too."

"I will. Bye, O!" And with that Clark took off.

It was surprisingly easy to find the bus lane to the downtown, and once there it was even easier to find the store. _Huh, maybe I'm getting good at this. My days of getting lost in the city are now over,_ Clarke said to herself. She entered the store and the first thing she saw was curls. Brown curls. And then, emerald eyes. _Lexa._


	3. Azul oscuro

**Chapter 3: Azul oscuro**

 **A/N:** This one is like 99% clexa. I'm really sorry for the delay guys, life has gotten in the way. I'll try my best to have the next chapter by the weekend.

The title means "deep blue", it was taken from a song in spanish, Azul Oscuro by Zurdok. Give it a listen, it's really good. I could translate the lyrics for those who want to.

Also, one day 'til season 3. Are you excited or what?!

Thanks for reading. I'd love to see what you think about the story so far and what you're looking forward to see in season 3.

 _Lexa was still dizzy when she got out of the bathroom. She spotted Lincoln and Quentin at the same corner they were before. She walked towards them trying to hide her health state. She had told the blonde girl that she was fine. Well, she wasn't. She still felt like she could faint in any moment. But the thing is, she wasn't going to accept help from any of Bellamy's friends. She saw the girl talking to Bellamy just moments ago, they were obviously friends, right?_

" _Lexa, are you okay? Where the hell were you?" Lincoln asked._

" _Doesn't matter. Let's get out of here." Lincoln and Quentin knew better than question Lexa's commands, so they exited the party without saying a word._

 _It was Monday and Lexa had woken up just as early as always. She was very fond to her routine. Wake up at 4:30 am, training with her coach Anya at 5:00 am, gym session, classes, then work at Anya's store at 3:00 pm, get out at 7:00 pm, go back to campus, do your homework, sleep, repeat. She had been doing the same things for two years. It worked for her, since her grades were impeccable and she hadn't lost a single match in all that time. Not even at training. Tennis was her life, it had always been. Her first memories were being sitting crossed legged at the tennis court, watching her parents play. Being at Law school and playing for the university team was hard, but she had managed to distribute her time in such a way that she was able to put a 100% of her attention on both and work part time. That left her with no time to go out with friends or do anything else for that matter. Not that she really cared; she had made peace with her lack of social skills._

 _Clarke. That name had been stuck in her brain ever since the party. Lexa had been wondering if Clarke was part of the tennis team of the Ark U, or maybe she was just friends with the team. Clarke. Such an rare name for a girl. It was her first class of the semester, and she really should be paying attention, but instead she was thinking about Clarke's smile. Gentile and genuine. And Clarke's eyes; deep blue and so full of life._

 _But why on earth was that girl occupying so much space in her thoughts? She didn't know her. She barely knew the girl's name. Besides, she's from Ark U, more important, she was either in or friends with the tennis team; therefore, an enemy._

 _It was time for her shift at the tennis supplies store. Anya owned the place, and Lincoln worked there too. The store wasn't big, but wasn't small either. There was a wall where the rackets were hanged. Wilson, Head, Prince, Babolat… there was a lot of variety. In another wall, there was a space for the tennis shoes and a space for accessories; over grips, vibration dampeners, tape, etc. There were also shelves filled with clothes. There was a manikin displayed, dressed with the Nike outfit Roger Federer was using for the US Open series._

 _Lexa was pasting a poster of Rafael Nadal to the wall when she saw someone entering the store. She could rapidly catch a glimpse of a blonde girl, standing awkwardly by the entrance._

" _Just a second." she said as she finished pasting the last corner of the poster. Once she got off the chair, she turned around and saw a familiar face._

 _Clarke._

Clarke recognized Lexa instantly. The girl was up in a chair, busy with a poster of Clarke's biggest idol. Lexa looked at her for just a second and she said something that Clarke couldn't catch because she was too distracted by the view. Maybe Lexa didn't recognize her. Maybe she did and she just decided to ignore it; after all, she didn't seem very friendly at the party.

But then Lexa turned around and Clarke saw her features change. _Oh, she definitely recognized me,_ Clarke thought.

"Hi. Can I help you with something?" Lexa asked, evidently recovered from the shock of seeing Clarke. _Aaaand she is pretending she doesn't know me. Of course._

"Hey, uhm, yes please. I need new encore for one of my racquets." _Two can play the same game, Lexa._

"Did you have any type of strings in mind?" _Is she really doing this?_

"Yeah, I was hoping you had the Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 660' String Reel, Polyester, of course." Clarke said, defying.

Lexa raised an eyebrow. "We do. Can I see your racquet, please?" Clarke handed her the racquet, Lexa took a look and finally said. "I see you have another type of encore here. The one you chose now will work well with your racquet. You seem to know what you're talking about."

"I do, I guess."

"Okay, the work should be done by tomorrow in the afternoon, probably around the same hour." Lexa was eagerly scanning the pages of a notebook, maybe on purpose so she wouldn't meet Clarke's gaze. _Maybe she really doesn't recognize me,_ Clarke thought.

"Do I have to pay now or…?"

"You can pay tomorrow." Lexa quickly responded.

"Noted. I'll pick it up tomorrow, then. Thank you." Clarke said, sounding disappointed. She turned and started walking towards the exit, when she heard Lexa.

"See you tomorrow, Clarke." _Did she just… what? She just said my name. She remembers me. She wasn't pretending. Or maybe she was but couldn't keep the façade on. Maybe it was some weird work ethic of being super professional with everyone. But how… wait. Where the hell did all the busses go?_

"Shit." And Clarke's strike of not being lost in a city was gone.

"Wasn't she at the party last Friday?" Lincoln asked. Apparently he managed to see the girl as she was walking out.

"Yeah." Lexa answered, trying not to think about how Clarke had just showed up at the store dressed with a short tennis skirt that made her legs look out of this world and a tank top, showing just the perfect amount of cleavage.

"How do you know her name?" Lincoln asked.

"Was she the one who saved your ass, Lex? She's cute. Maybe next time you can pass out so she can do CPR on you." Anya suggested. She had been in the back doing inventory when Clarke came.

"Anya, shut up." Anya was Lexa's coach (actually, the team's coach) but she had become her best friend as well. They expended a lot of time together; in the morning training, in the gym, in the store… She was the only one who could tease Lexa like that, because, somehow, everyone else was too scared of her.

"I'm just saying, no hurt would…" Anya was interrupted by a voice.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but uhm… Do you happen to know why there are no busses passing around here?" Clarke asked shyly.

The three turned and look at the girl standing by the door. Anya smirked. "Well, that would be because there's a strike going on. There are no buses after 7:00 pm."

"You cannot be serious." Clarke complained.

"Very 'John McEnroe' of you, but yeah, I'm serious."

"Ugh. Okay, I'll just walk or find a cab or something. Thanks anyway."

"It's getting dark and the walk back to your campus is at least one hour." Lexa said, and Clarke couldn't figure if she sounded preoccupied or annoyed.

"Lex, your shift already ended, so why don't you go walk this girl to the nearest taxicab stand, huh?" Anya said, and Lexa knew where she was going.

"That won't be necessary; I can manage to find one myself." As much as Clarke would like to walk with Lexa, the girl seemed to dislike her a lot. So she was just going to save the awkwardness for both of them and call a uber.

"I can do that. Just give me a minute to get my things." Clarke's jaw dropped. Did Lexa just say that? Was she going to escort her to a cab? Okay, there were a lot of mixed signals from that girl. First she's asking for her help, then she barely says 'thank you', then she acts like she doesn't know her, but then makes clear that she does and wants to help her… _I can't keep up with her,_ Clarke said to herself.

Exactly a minute after, Lexa is back with a black backpack on her shoulder. "Shall we?" She asked Clarke and pointed to the door.

"Sure." And just like that they are out of the store and walking side by side.

A few minutes passed, and the silence was no longer tolerable between Clarke and Lexa. Every time the blonde opened her mouth to say something she instantly regretted it.

"Thank you again, for the other night." Lexa finally broke the silence.

"So you do remember me." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Of course I do." Lexa wasn't looking at Clarke.

"Well, it didn't seem like it back in the store." Clarke stated, and she instantly regretted it because Lexa didn't answer and there was the deadly silence again.

"Did you find out what caused the hypoglycemia the other day?" Clarke decided there was no point in getting Lexa to talk about why she had pretended she didn't know her.

"No, not really."

"But are you okay now?"

"Yes, I am." Lexa said, and Clarke realized Lexa was a woman of few words, because so far it seemed like she was keeping her word count as low as possible. "So, you're new in the Ark U tennis team?" Lexa asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

"Not really. I just train, I don't compete."

Lexa raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were part of the team since you were at Bellamy's party."

"Nope, I was actually there because Octavia invited me."

"Octavia?" Lexa wondered if Clarke was referring to the girl with black hair and blue eyes she had seen with Clarke.

"Bellamy's sister."

"Right." Lexa rolled her eyes. So Clarke wasn't part of the team, but she still had a connection to them. "You said you didn't compete. Why?"

Clarke clenched her jaw. "I just don't." And Lexa realized it was a sensitive topic, so she dropped it. She was still curious, though.

They walked for another block in silence and finally reached the taxicab stand. "We're here."It was obvious, but Lexa said it mostly to make some sort of last minute conversation. She didn't want to say goodbye yet.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Lexa frowned. "You will?" She asked with a bit of hope in her tone.

"I mean, if you're at the store when I pick up my racquet." Clarke said, wondering what Lexa had thought.

"Right, your racquet." There was disappointment in her voice. She felt stupid not understanding what Clarke was talking about.

"Why else would I be seeing you tomorrow, Lexa?" Clarke teased, wondering if that would make Lexa lost her perfect posture.

Lexa frowned again. The question took her by surprise. "No reason, I just forgot that your racquet will be ready by then. But yes, I'll be there tomorrow."

Clarke smiled at Lexa's response and Lexa's heart skipped a beat at that sight. She thought she could write a thesis about how Clarke's smile could start a chain of reactions in her body, leading her to go completely numb.

"Bye Lexa, thank you for walking me." Clarke said, already walking towards a cab.

"No problem. Goodbye, Clarke." Lexa found herself already thinking about their next meeting tomorrow.

Lexa wasn't there when Clarke came back to pick up her racquet, and the blonde couldn't deny her disappointment.

"How much do I owe you" Clarke asked Lincoln.

"Thirty dollars." Lincoln answered. "Is the encore how you wanted it?"

"Yeah, it's perfect." Clarke said, examining and moving the cords.

"Lexa did the job herself." Lincoln must have caught the unasked question of where Lexa was.

"She did huh?" Lincoln nodded. "Where is she anyway? She told me she was going to be here."

"Uhm, she had… a compromise she couldn't skip." Lincoln said trying to be careful with his words, and Clarke thought it sounded like an excuse Lexa made to not see her. Whatever, it wasn't like she cared, right?

"Thank Lexa for me, and uh, tell her I'll see her around." Okay, she cares.

Lincoln didn't have time to respond as Clarke rushed out of the store. He continued checking his facebook when a few minutes later he saw Lexa walk in. "Lexa, you came."

"I finished the class earlier, it was one of the boys' birthday and they were going bowling after the class." Lexa gave tennis lessons to a few kids from the local orphanage. She had initiated the program a year ago, after her team was invited to play a few games and interact with the kids. She saw interest from them, asked Anya and the principal if she could use a court one day per week to teach the kids how to play and they accepted. Lexa had grown very fond to them ever since, and it was a part of her life that made her very proud. However, she liked to keep it private. Only her team knew about it, some of them even offered a couple of times to help or cover Lexa when she wasn't able to go.

"You just missed Clarke, she was here literally ten minutes ago." Lincoln said. _Are you kidding me?_ Lexa wanted to ask, but she didn't want to seem interested, so she didn't. She had done everything possible to be there on time. Apparently it wasn't enough. The thing is, Lexa didn't know why she was so excited to see Clarke again. It's not like she can be friends with the blonde, let alone anything else. She couldn't stop thinking about her blue eyes. It wasn't an extraordinary blue, but it was a deep blue that could either drown you or take you to the surface when you're running out of air. There was a reason why Lexa had avoided those eyes yesterday while talking and walking with Clarke; the moment she looked into them, all her walls seemed to fall. And she couldn't afford to be weak. Not for Clarke, not for anyone.

"She asked me to thank you for the encore and to tell you that she'll see you around." Lincoln's voice made Lexa return from her thoughts. She turned around to hide the huge smile on her face.


End file.
